Portarlington boxer to compete at U23 European championships

A member of the Defence Forces who boxes out of St Brigid's Boxing Club in Edenderry has been selected for the Irish team which will compete at the World Boxing European U23 Championships in Hungary later this year.

The Offaly club's representative, Rachel Lawless from Portarlington, will compete at 51kg in the championships which be held in November.

On social media, the Defence Forces' boxing team congratulated Rachel on her selection.

"Will done to Pte Rachel Lawless on being selected for the U23 European championships with Team Ireland. Best of luck from the Defence Forces Boxing team," it said.

Rachel, a daughter of Ray and Emer, was among a group of Defence Forces recruits who passed out as fully-trained 3-Star soldiers during a ceremony in Athlone's Custume Barracks in 2022.

She and the other members of the Irish team will be continuing their preparations for the European championships by competing in an upcoming international U23 round robin tournament being hosted by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) in Belfast.

National U23 teams from Hungary and England, and an Ulster Select team, will go up against Team Ireland in five sessions of boxing from October 9 to 11 at the Girdwood Community Hub in Belfast.

The IABA's High Performance director Jon Mackey said: "Development opportunities like this are vital for the progression of Irish boxing, and this round robin is a key part of Team Ireland's preparations for the inaugural World Boxing European U23 Championships.

"We have a strong team, and pre-championship competition against teams like Hungary, England and an Ulster Select will only serve to further enhance preparations."